Spiced Turkey & Sweet Potato Bowl

 Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled & cubed
• 1 small yellow onion, sliced
• 2 small radishes, sliced
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 cup packed chopped kale
• 1 small zucchini, diced

For the Dressing:

• 1 medium avocado, pitted and peeled
• 1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1 /2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Spread out the sweet potato, onion, and radishes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil and drizzle it over the vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the paprika.
3. Roast for 25 minutes, turning the potatoes over once half-way through the roasting. 
4. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining  coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, remaining salt and pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Stir in the kale and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. 
5. Divide up the turkey evenly among 4 bowls. Top with equal amounts of roasted sweet potatoes and onions, zucchini, and kale. 
6. To make the dressing, combine all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Drizzle the dressing over the bowl ingredients and serve. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 12 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in The New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. If you are craving a filling bowl, eat this and you will be satisfied. Don't worry if it looks like a mess. This bowl is quite flavorful and tasty. The combination of ground turkey and vegetables is quite delicious. The dressing is quite zesty and tasty on top. This bowl makes a filling lunch or dinner any night of the week. 

Sweet Potato Egg Cups

 Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 2 tsp. coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

For the Egg Cups:

• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Makes 12 egg cups (3 egg cups per serving)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with silicone cups or paper cupcake liners and set aside. 
2. Combine the sweet potato and sea salt in a strainer and toss to coat. Let the mixture sit for 20 minutes to release any excess water. Transfer the sweet potato to a piece of cheesecloth and squeeze out the water. 
3. Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and add the coconut oil, black pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to combine. 
4. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups with the tip of a spoon. 
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the muffin tin from the oven.
6. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the egg cups by adding the eggs, heavy cream, salt pepper, spinach, and tomatoes to a bowl and whisk to combine. 
7. Pour equal amounts of the egg mixture into the baked sweet potato cups. Top with the feta and cheddar. 
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggs are set. 
9. Remove from the oven and allow the egg cups to cool slightly before serving. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. Egg cups are great for breakfast or as a snack. These cups are an easy portable source of protein; they are freezer friendly and can be made in advance. These particular egg cups are flavorful and savory and they will quickly fill you up. The combination of eggs, cheese and vegetables is quite delicious when they are done right. 

Spicy Grilled Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.) peeled
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings (1 cup per serving)

1. Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into fries 1/3-inch thick by 2 to 4 inches long. In a medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, oil, paprika, thyme, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Grill sweet potatoes, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve hot.

WW POITNS VALUE: 4 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. You can have your French fries and eat them too. Sweet potato fries are just as good as fries you would get at a fast food joint. Plus, grilled fries are tastier and more satisfying than their deep-fried counterparts. The combination of thyme, paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne spice these goodies up. These fries do cook in under 10 minutes so they will be ready to eat in no time. As for the olive oil, I highly recommend visiting www.TheImperialOlive.com for a choice of flavors.

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Latkes

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini (1/2 lb.) ends trimmed
• 1 large sweet potato (3/4 lb.) peeled
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• unsweetened applesauce (optional)

Makes 24 (2-inch) latkes

1.  Slice zucchini lengthwise and remove seeds. Coarsely grate zucchini and potato in a food processor or with a hand grater; transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, egg, salt, and pepper; stir to combine.
2. Heat 1 1 /2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoons to skillet, gently flattening with the back of a spoon as you go. Cook until edges are golden, 1-2 minutes, then flip and cook until bottom is golden, about 1 minute more (adjust heat if necessary to prevent burning). Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining 1 1/ 2 tablespoons oil and remaining zucchini mixture. Serve latkes hot with applesauce on the side, if desired.

WW POINTS VALUE: 1 pt.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. Latkes are the official potato pancakes enjoyed during the Hanukkah season but you can enjoy these treats year round. These potato pancakes are colorful, flavorful and good for you. You won't even need the applesauce to go with these treats they're that nice. Prepare the potato batter before you cook these treats so they won't get soggy. Pour off any excess liquid while cooking so they are golden and crisp. Also, be very careful when you're pressing down on them because they are very delicate when cooking in the pan.

Autumn Veggie Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame beans
• 2 ounce baby spinach (2 cups)
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 (1 1/2-cup) Servings

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, reduce heat to medium-low. and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Do not brown.
2. Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add sweet potato and edamame, reduce ot a simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and heat until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts

 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook. I was craving something warm and comforting and this soup hit the spot for me tonight. Autumn is officially here and what better way to celebrate autumn than a cup of warm vegetable soup. Forget the canned vegetable soup you buy at the store; this soup tastes just as good and is more colorful. I didn't have any spinach on hand so I used broccoli instead and the soup was still delicious. The edamame and sweet potato made the soup very filling and I added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to give the soup and extra kick of heat and it worked. This soup is great for lunch or dinner and perfect for vegetarians. Parents, listen up: if you want your kids to eat more vegetables, this is the soup that will do it.

Polynesian Steak & Sweet Potatoes- A new kind of Steak & Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. lean flank steak, London Broil, or any other kind of top quality steak
• 3 small uncooked sweet potato(es), cut in half & each half cut into 6 wedges
• 1 cup pineapple juice or pineapple-orange juice
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings

1. In a large bowl, place steak and potatoes in a single layer (if possible) and add juice, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 10 minutes and up to overnight to allow flavors to blend.
2. Off heat, coat a grill rack with cooking spray. Add steak and cook 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium, or longer for desired doneness. At same time, grill potatoes in a single layer, flipping once, until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
3. To serve, thinly slice steak against grain and serve with potatoes. Yields about 3 ounces of steak and 9 potato wedges per serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts

Note: This recipe appears on www.weightwatchers.com. Here is another delicious dinner or what I like to call as "If you can't get to a steakhouse, let the steakhouse come to you." This is a different kind of meat and potatoes dish because of the exotic Polynesian flavors of pineapple, soy and ginger. Don't add too much salt to this dish because there is already some salt in the soy sauce. If you don't have access to a grill, don't worry. You can cook this meal on a grill pan heated over medium-high heat or use your broiler. If all the ingredients don't fit at once, cook the steak first and cover it to keep warm while you cook the potatoes. The cooking time on an outdoor grill may vary from the broiler or grill pan so keep an eye on your food. I used filet mignon in this dish and the meat just melted in my mouth. Now this dish isn't quite Iron Chef worthy, But I think Iron Chef Morimoto would like this dish. This is a geat dinner to make on a weeknight or date night and your family and friends will like this meal, I promise you.

Sweet Potato & Red Beet Drum with Almond Flakes in a Raw Sugar-Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 red beet, cooked and sliced
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 oz. dark brown sugar
• 2 oz. granulated sugar
• the juice of 1 lime
• 3 pieces star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp almond flakes, roasted and chopped
• 1/2 slice pineapple to garnish

Makes 2 Servings

1. Pre-cook the sweet potato in a pot filled with water for 3-5 minutes.
2. Heat the water in a skillet; add the brown sugar and sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, lime juice, the sweet potato and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove the anise, cinnamon stick and sweet potato from the pan; reserve the pan from the liquid. Make a puree of the sweet potato with some of the liquid that stayed in the pan or some water.
4. For the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar into the pan where the sweet potato was cooked and mix well (reheat of the sauce os too thick).
5. To serve, grab a round cookie cutter and make round beet slices. With the same cookie cutter place one layer of the sweet potato puree and 1 red beet slice ( 2 layers each). Sprinkle the almond flakes on top and garnish witht he pineapple slice and the sauce.

WW POINTS VALUE: Who Knows?

Note: This recipe is something I learned at the Cocina Cosmopolita Culinary School in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. I never had sweet potato or red beet before and I was anxious to try this. I felt like I was training for Iron Chef America with all the ingredients and tools I was using to make this dish. This dish is considered to be a dessert in Mexico but  I would serve this as a light dinner. I don't consider sweet potatoes or beets to be dessert but they do taste good together.